Game Design: Revised Depletion Power

I think there’s a problem with Depletion and how it interacts with an opponent’s cards. I was thinking about how a player will tend to get a build-up of cards in his or her Resources, depending on what their strategy is. When you go straight for your opponent’s Destiny with Depletion, there’s almost no need or reason to wait, or to risk any other strategy.

There’s no drawback, and no reason to attempt Banishment — except on the off-chance that you’re really lucky and your opponent is suicidal, neither of which is something you have much control over. No, instead Depletion needs to be altered so there’s either some risk involved, or it isn’t as effective. Currently, Depletion is simply too reliable: activate your reserve to force an exile of Destiny.

Here’s the original text, and already I see a problem:
“Activate 1 Reserve to force target player to exile 1 Destiny. (To activate a card, commit Resources of greater value.)”

I’m explaining activation in the power itself, when activation is a core concept, which amounts to what should be an “unwritten rule.” Like “tapping” in Magic: the Gathering. Activation is an abstract concept that relates to “making things do stuff,” and the standard method of activation is to put a card of greater value from your Resources into your Exhaust. That’s currently the only way to activate a card, but there will be others.

Here’s my proposed alternative:
“Activate 1 reserve to force target player to exile 1 resource of greater value. If they can not, they must instead exile 1 Destiny.”

This is an incredibly powerful deterrent for players hoarding high-value cards in their Resources for a mass activation. It encourages players to keep their deck cycling as often as possible, to help prevent the guaranteed loss of valuable cards through depletion. It also guarantees that the active player gets something out of the deal, because in the case that the defending player has no Resources, they lose Destiny.

It also gives players an incentive to opt out of Divination if it means they stand to lose something when attacked. Of course, it also means they have fewer cards to work with — so it’s a risk each and every time you opt in on something that allows you to add to your Resources when you don’t have the safety of Consignment to fall back on.

As a strategist, you have to weigh the risks of material gains from Divination against the risks of material gains from Development. On the one hand, you can get more cards faster by participating in Divination, but you open yourself up to losing valuable cards. But your opponent can only activate so many times, and relying solely on Development can lead to Resource Starvation.